View full sizeMarvin Fong / The Plain DealerJames Walker, left, and Michael Jones, right, have organized a job fair to help ex-offenders get back on their feet when they are released from prison. The job fair is in its second year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Organizers of a second annual career fair for ex-offenders seeking jobs and reentry services expect 1,500 people and 50 vendors to show up Tuesday at the Zelma George Recreation Center.

The first edition of the fair -- put on by a local re-entry resource group called Breaking the Cycle Inc. -- drew 850 people, and 153 of them found work.

This year's event, which will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will offer information on topics, including employment, housing, job training and legal services.

Michael Jones, 39, who founded Breaking the Cycle in 2008, said the recession has hurt many job searchers, and ex-offenders carry an added burden.

"A lot of people are out of work right now and employers are likely to pick someone with no criminal record rather than someone who has a background," Jones said.

But not dealing with the ex-offender population can end up becoming problematic, he said.

"If you don't provide ex-offenders with services or opportunities once they are released the chances of them (re-offending) is very high," Jones said.

The group also plans to hold seminars to educate employers on how their hiring decisions can impact ex-offenders. Some of the companies expected to attend this year's fair include I-Wireless, Sodexo, Cook Construction, The Price Group, Popeye's Chicken, McDonald's, Huntington Bank, Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

James Walker, 54, of Cleveland, said he hopes the job fair will help him and other ex-offenders land much needed employment. He has been looking for a job for more than three years after serving 30 years in prison. He was locked up in 1977 for murder and aggravated robbery. He was released in 2007.

While serving time at various prisons in the state, he earned a few trade certifications and a bachelor's degree in specialized studies. He said he is a different person now and understands what people go through when they return to society.

"I knew reentry would be difficult, but I didn't know how hard it would be," Walker said. "People have to be safe, and I understand the concerns some folks may have. But we have to look at reentry from a holistic point of view."

In Cuyahoga County, more than 10,000 felons will come back to Northeast Ohio this year after serving time in state prisons. Of that number, 7,000 will return to Cleveland, according to the county's Office of Reentry.

Most returning felons are non-violent offenders who want employment, but are held back because of their past, experts said.

Luis Vazquez, manager of the county Office of Reentry, said more released prisoners return to Cleveland than any other city in the state. And 79 percent of those coming back to Cleveland settle in five neighborhoods: Hough, Central, Glenville, Mount Pleasant and Union-Miles.

Vazquez said reentry is a sensitive topic and he understands people's concerns. But that segment of the population can't just be ignored.

"If you don't invest in this population, it will end up having a greater impact on taxpayers because they will go back to jail," Vazquez said. "We don't want them to go back, we want them to be self-sufficient."

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections has implemented some programs -- despite budget cuts -- to get inmates on track before they are released. Julie Walburn, a spokeswoman for the department in Columbus, said more than 5,000 inmates at 29 correctional facilities have participated in 20-plus job fairs held at correctional facilities in 2010.

Jones, of Breaking the Cycle, knows how valuable the help can be. He spent 4 1/2 years in prison for domestic violence and bank fraud. He struggled to find work after his release in 2002. He worked jobs in fast food, data entry, telemarketing and construction until he caught on at an auto plant in 2006. He has since taken a buyout and works for the non-profit full time.

He said he was embarrassed that he had a felony and wouldn't put it on his application. Then, he would end up losing the job when they found out. He wants others to avoid his mistakes.

"I'm going to give them pointers on what to do and not do," Jones said. "The job process starts when you go and ask for an application, so you have to be ready at all times."

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